Skip to main content

2026 Solo Trip Journal: Day 5 & 6

 Woke up in my own sweet time. Read in bed for a while. Got up. Made coffee, the free coffee sachet from the hotel. Turns out it was strong black coffee. I am not a strong black coffee girl. But I hate to leave it like that, so I added both the sugar packets. Drank and got ready. Went for a little walk to a bakery, Vera Cakes, and bought some bread. Then, I headed to the beach. Walked for quite some time and decided to take a beach seat. Paid 40000 dong and sat there. Started reading, of course. A fruit seller came, and I bought an assorted fruit packet, 20000 dong. Also asked the beach seat guy for a tender coconut, 30000 dong. I ate some of that bread, so smooth, soft and tasty.

Sat there for nearly two hours. Talked to my family on video call. Then it was time for lunch. I started walking back to the room. Looked around for restaurants on the way. For some reason didn't feel like going in any of them. The previous day, I had lunch at the Indian restaurant, but I couldn't eat much. Such a waste of food and money. I didn't want that. I thought I'd try eating noodle soup in the room. Went into a Winmart, bought some noodle packets and went to the room. Boiled water and got one ready. It was glass noodles. At first I thought it tasted bland, but no, it was flavourful. Tummy was satisfied. Also had some more bread, and tropical tea (bought the day before).

Now, what was it among these that gave me loose motion later in the day? The bread? Must be some ingredient that didn't agree with my tummy. "Tasting European Baking", it said on the wrapper. Maybe I should just stick to Asian baking. Or was it the glass noodle? The tea? The tea was too concentrated and tasted funny. It's possible. Can't be the fruit. Anyway, had to stay in the room till evening. 

I was better in the evening. Decided to walk to Son Tra Night Market. This must be the same night market we went to last year. Less than 30 minutes walk. Why not? Can book a bike while coming back. So walked and walked. Crossing road after road. There was one big road before reaching the night market. A bit scary. Luckily, a woman turned up just then. There was also a guy trying to cross. He and I followed her lead, and we made it. Haha!

The night market. Same as last year, nothing much new. And I am not really into shopping. I was there for the walk and being out. Walked around a little bit, bought 2 sunglasses and decided to head back. Booked a Grab bike. Night rides on two-wheelers are something. Even if riding with a stranger. I had fun.

Once back in the room. ordered fried rice from the Grab app. It reached really fast. I went to collect it and headed towards the beach again to sit somewhere and eat. Ate a little, but it was too windy. I was walking again, then it started to drizzle. As I walked back to the room, I had my headphones on, music on, and I had the feeling of "being exactly where I am supposed to be". :)

Booked my stay for the coming week. End of the day.

Oh, its the 6th day already. Woke up earlier than yesterday. Got ready. Went out. Bought some snacks, went back to room to keep them. Took some with me to eat. More walking and sitting and eating, and walking some more at the beach. Had to head back to room to pee. I walked so much I was exhausted, I fell asleep for a while. Woke up and came out for lunch at the same Indian restaurant. Rice! Can't live without rice. Ordered veg fried rice, mixed pakodas and ginger tea. This time I took the portion I could eat on my plate and asked the remaining to be packed. No waste.

Back to the beach after lunch. Picked a bench and sat and read a while. More on what I read in upcoming blogs.

Headache. Stupid. Back to the room.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Books I Read in June 2025— Arundhati Roy, BR Ambedkar and More

 Today is the last day of June, and I feel compelled to jot down the books I read this month to reflect on my experience and learnings. These are the books: ~The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen ~My Seditious Heart by Arundhati Roy ~Annihilation of Caste by Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar ~History of Modern Manipur by Lal Dena Just four. It's okay, really. There is no compulsion to read 6,7 books every month. Reading fewer books doesn't mean I'm learning less. In fact, I learned more deeply. The books this month have been impactful in different ways. Clearly, there is a shift in my choices. I'm leaning more into nonfiction now. I guess I've always been angry and frustrated deep inside. About the climate crisis, social injustice, war, etc. Living in the comforting world of fiction was an escape from all these thoughts. As I read more nonfiction, I get angrier, but I know I should keep myself informed of reality. Then perhaps I'd be able to do something about it. I'm not ...

Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver

It was a joy reading Upstream by Mary Oliver. H ere are a few quotes and phrases from the book that I want to keep remembering. "you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life" "I quickly found for myself two such blessings- the natural world, and the world of writing: literature. These were the gates through which I vanished from a difficult place." "Reading, then writing, then desiring to write well, shaped in me that most joyful of circumstances- a passion for work." "..having chosen to claim my life, I have made for myself, out of work and love, a handsome life" "And that I did not give to anyone the responsibility for my life. It is mine. I made it. And can do what I want to with it. Live it. Give it back, someday, without bitterness, to the wild and weedy dunes." "Creative work needs solitude. It needs concentration, without interruptions. It needs the whole sky to fly in, and no eye watching until it c...

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

So I recently watched the 2017 Russian adaptation of Anna Karenina , an eight-part series by Mosfilm (one of the largest and oldest film studios in the Russian Federation and in Europe, according to Wikipedia). This one takes a unique narrative approach, presenting the story from Vronsky’s perspective.  Let me tell you—I was absolutely enthralled. From the acting to the costumes, the sets to the overall production quality, I liked almost everything about this adaptation, except for a few scenes and bits here and there. The performances felt authentic and moving, capturing the essence of the novel’s characters with remarkable fidelity. So satisfying was this adaptation that I’m not eager to seek out others. Somehow, I feel that no other version could match the artistry of this one. I’d like to explore more films and series by this studio, and I most certainly will. And I don't know why it's got such low ratings: 6.3/10 on IMDb and 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. It DESERVES much higher!...